Starting equipment for diesel engines



, Ian. 12, 1937.' F. G. HUDSON ET AL STARTING EQUIPMENT FOR DIESEL ENGINES Filed Dec. 26, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Jan. 12, 1937. F. G. HUDSON ET Al.

STARTING EQUIPMENT FOR DIESEL ENGINES Filed Dec. 26, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 12, 1937 PATENT OFFICE' STARTING EQUIPMENT FOR DIESEL ENGINES Fred G. Hudson and Leslie A. Smith,

' Seattle,

Application December 26, 1933, Serial No. 703,956

j. 2 Claims.

This inventon relates to improvements in internal combustion engines and it has reference more particularly to enginesb of the relatively high compression types operating on the Diesel or semi-Diesel principle; the invention being based upon the provision of an auxiliary means for starting the engine to build up the necessary lconditions for normal Diesel operation.

Ity isthe principal object of this invention to provide a relatively inexpensive starting equipment adapted to be built into, or attached permanently to the engine, and designed to utilize a carbureted fuel; the equipment also having a novel valve system and-an ignition means associated therewith whereby the engine, during the starting operation in particular, will be temporarily 'converted into one operating o n the usual gas engine principle.

It is also an object of the inventionto provide a starting equipment of the above stated character, having a manual control or setting lever so arranged in combination with control parts for a the Diesel operation that its adjustment to starting position will automatically render certain parts of the Diesel equipment ineffective so as not to interfere with proper functioning of the starting equipment. Likewise, when the lever is adjusted back to oi position, it automatically renders the starting -means inoperative and re- I sets the Diesel equipment.'

It is also an object of the invention to provide, in the starting equipment, an expansion cham- Aber supplementary to the combustion chamberl in the provision of a starting equipment adapted to operate in conjunction with part of the Diesel equipment, comprising an auxiliary expansion and combustion chamber,x whichmay be opened into direct communication with the cylinder explosion chamber through a valvedlpassagefand having means for the admittance of carbureted fuel charges into the auxiliary chamber incident to suction created by downward travel of the engine piston, and including an ignition system for firing the admitted fuel charge after it has been suitably compressed by upward travel of the piston, thereby to give the engine its starting impulse; whereupon, the cycle of charge-admitting compressing, ring and exhausting continues to be repeated until the starting equipment is manually adjusted to I off position the carburetor maybe (Cl. 12S- 30) thereby to cause normal functioning of the Diesel equipment.

Other objects of the invention reside in the various details of construction. and vin the combination of parts and in their mode of operation as will hereinafter be described.

For accomplishing these and' other objects of the invention, we have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms Vof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. l is a cross sectional view, on the axial line of a cylinder, of a Diesel engine equipped with a starting apparatus embodied by the present invention.

Fig. .1a. is a. sectional detail of the injection lever mounting eccentric.

Fig. 1b is a cross section view on line b--b on Fig. 1a.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal, cross section view taken on the line 2-2 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, cross section view on the line 3-3 on Fig. 1, through the cylinder head.

Fig. 4 is a top, or planfvew of thecylinder head and starting equipment; certain parts being shown in section for purpose of better illustration.

Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are views diagrammatically illustrating the control devices and positions of the valves in the equipment for Diesel operation and for the/starting operation, respectively.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line -1-1 on Fig. 4. l

Referring more in detail to the drawings- In Fig. 1, the reference numeral I designates, in its entirety, a common form of Diesel engine.

`This engine comprises a cylinder 2, with a piston 4 reciprocable therein and connected by rod 4 with a crank shaft 5. A cam shaft 6 is rotatably driven in timing with thevcrank shaft lthrough suitable gearing, (not shown). In the cylinder head 8 are exhaust and air inlet passages 9 and I controlled, respectively, by tappet valves II and I2. These valves, as shown in Fig. 3, have their mounting stems slidably mounted in guides I3 and the said valves are yieldingly held closed by coiled springs I4 which surround them and seat against the guides and against nuts I on the upper ends of the stems. a

Operation of the valves II and I2, in the normal working of the engine, is effected by the action of rocker arms I Ii and I1 respectively. These arms, as shown im Figs. 5 and 6, are pivotally supported on a, pivot shaft I8and have theirrinner ends overlying the stems of valves Il and I2 and their outer ends operatively cony The present starting equipment comprises an auxiliary combustion and expansion chamber 25 in a`housing26 attached to the engine head.-

vThis chamber 25 communicates directly with the l air inlet passage l@ and, when valve i2 is open,

`it is opened into communication with the upper end of engine cylinder 2 (Fig. 4)'. At the outer end of chamber 25 there is a port 28 opening into a passage 29 which connects at one side of the port with a carburetor 3llan'd 'at the other end is open to outside air. A valve 3l is mounted'in the passage 29 between the port 28 and carburetor and there is a valve 32 at the other side ofthe port. These valves have operating shafts 33-36, respectively, as shown in Fig. 4, and on the shafts are lever arms 35 and 36, respectively, connected by a link 3l so that they are moved in` unison and their relationship is such that when valve 3l is opened, the valve 32 will be closed. Likewise, when valve 3l is closed, the valve 32 will be opened.

There is also a tappet valve 38 for the portv 28 and this valve is yieldingly held closed by a coiled spring 43 that surrounds the valve stem 38' and bears against a retainer di on the outer end of the stem'. This valve 38 may be held open by the movement against the outerend of vthe valve stem 33 of a lever 42 that is pivotally supported at one end by a pivot .d3 fixed in abracket 44 attached to the cylinder head or other part on the engine. This lever has a link 45 connecting its swinging end with a horizontally disposed hand lever d1 attached by aI pivot 48 to a bracket d8' upon the cylinder head. The swinging of the hand lever eiects the functional movements of the lever 42 to hold open or permit the closing of valve 38.

vlis will be observed by reference to Fig. 4, the hand lever di is supported pivotally at a point 68 between its ends. The linkd5 is connected to the-lever dllA at a point outside the pivot 48 and its inner end is adapted to be swung, as indicated in Fig. 4, into a position across and against the inner end of rocker lever Il to swing it downwardly against the stem of the valve I2 to hold the valve open, as seen in Fig. 3. At the inner end of the lever M there is a cam surface 41a, as shown in Fig. '7, which facilitates the riding of the lever arm on to the `rocker lever il, thereby to actuate the valve l2 to open position. 'This places the chamber 25 in communication with the combustion cylinder and provides the increased volume whereby a necessary reduction in compression is eiected for starting on the present equipment. y

When the hand lever d1 is in the position for holding the valve I 2 open, the lever d2, connected thereto by link 45, is adjusted outwardly to that aoezese' -xed to the shaft of valve 3i and joined pivotally by a link 5i to the link d5. This linkage provides that when the lever di is adjusted to starting position, as shown in Fig. 6, the valve 3i will be opened and the valve 32 will be closed, thereby causing suction to draw in fuel charges through the carburetor and past the inwardly yieldable valve 33. When the hand lever isv adjusted to y.

running position as shown in Fig. v5, it releases the valve l2 for normal-action by the rockerY arm ll, and closes valve 3i and opens valve32, thereby cutting out the carburetor connection and opening the inlet passage llLto outside air pastwthe valves 32 and 33. Itis' to be' understood 'that the arrangement of linkage and design of parts is such that valve 32 will be opened and valve 3l closed prior to the releasing of valve -l 2 for Diesel operation.

The engine also has the usual injection nozzle 60 through which oil charges are delivered to the cylinder when under Diesel operationxand this is under control of a mechanism comprising a lever Bl pivotallymounted'at one-end by a pivot 62 at the upper end of a post 63 xed on the engine head 8. across the nozzle valve stem and' is adapted to be lifted by a push rod 64 acted onby a cam 66 on shaft 6. The pivot 62 is in the form of an eccentric, as seen in Figs. la and 1b, and is revoluble in supports 66 and has a crank arm 6l at one end connected by a link 68 with lever 67, as showii diagrammatically in Fig. 6, so that when the latter is adjusted to a position for throwing the starting carbureter. into -operation, as shown in Fig. 6, it rotates the eccentric to lift the lever 6i clear of the injection valve E@ and thus to prevent ejection of Diesel fuel while the engine is being operated on the start- 'Ihe lever 6l extends atwhich its inner end engages the rocker lever A I7 to depress the lever' to hold the valve i2 open. The lever i2 then disengages the stem of valve 38 and allows the valve to be held yieldably in closed position by spring 5. 'I'his positioning of the lever @l also causes the eccentric 32 to be rotated in a manner to lower the injection lever 6i to non-injecting position. aAlso, this adjustment of lever dl causes valve 3l tohe opened and valve 32 to be closed. The parts then assume the position of Fig. v6.` Then, by turning over the crank shaft, the piston will be reciprocated and on its downward stroke will create a partial vacuum in the upper end of cylinder i and in the chamber 25 and this, by suction, causes a fuelv charge to be drawn into the .chamber 25 past valve 38. Upward travel of the piston compresses the admitted charge and it is ignited in proper timing by means of a spark plug 10 mounted in a wall of chamber 25 as seen in Fig. 1, and connected in a circuit controlled by the usual ignition system not herein shown.

The ignition of the charge causes an explosion whereby the piston is forcibly driven down thus to carry the engine crank shaft over for another cycle. After a succession of these explosions, the engine will be in condition for its normal Diesel operation whereupon the lever 67 is adjusted back` to off position as shown in Fig. 5.

This equipment, unlike some prior devices used 'for starting, retains the full fuel charge that is drawn in, this being possible by reason of the increased volume for compression.

The equipment illustrated is simple and relatively inexpensive and may be made either as regular built-in equipment or as an attachment. It does away with the auxiliary device usually provided for starting purposes and if necessary could Diesel type, having a working cylinder, a cylinder head equipped with a fuel injection system and with air inlet and exhaust passages for the cyl- K inder, valves for controlling lsaid passages and means for synchronously operating the valves in normal Diesel operation, of a starting attachment fixedl to the head and comprising a housing formed with an auxiliary combustion chamber in open communication with the air inlet passage and having an intake opening, an ignition means in said chamber, a carburetor having a suction passage communicating with said combustion chamber through said intake opening and having an outside opening, a valve for closing said outside opening, an automatic valve in the said intake opening and a manually adjustable starting member operativelyconnected with said valves and injection system Awhereby in normal Diesel .operation said automatic valve and saidA valve in valve in the said outside opening to closed position and to free the automatic valve for automatic operation under influence of internalpressures.

2. The combination with an engine of the Diesel type having a working cylinder, a cylinder head equipped with a fuel injection system and with air inlet and exhaust passages for the cylinder, valves for controlling said passages, and means for synchronously operating the valves in normal Diesel operation, of a starting attachment xed to the head and comprising a housing formed with an auxiliary combustion chamber in open communication with the air inlet passage and having an intake opening, an ignition means in said chamber, a carburetor having a suction passage connected at one end with the carburetor and open to outside air at its other end and communicating at a point between its ends with said intake opening, a normally open closure valve for the open end of the suction passage, a normally closed carburetor control valve in the passage between th'e carburetor and the intake opening, an inwardly yieldable valve in the intake opening and a. starting lever having means operatively connecting it with the injection system and with said yieldable valve whereby in off position the yieldable valve is held open and the carburetor valve is closed and movable to "starting position whereby the fuel injection system is rendered ineffective, the control valve of the air inlet passage in the cylinder head is held open, the inwardly yieldable valve -is freed for automatic operation under influence of pressure differential, the carburetor control valve is opened, and the valve to outside air is closed.

, FRED G. HUDSON. LESLIE A. SMITH. 

